I gave blood last week actually I only gave RBC's. Ever since I can hear and feel my heartbeat in my ears. Sometimes it gets so loud I can't hear anything else. It gets worse when I exercise.

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1 Replies |Watch This Discussion | Report This| Share this:Pounding in my earsI gave blood last week actually I only gave RBC's. Ever since I can hear and feel my heartbeat in my ears. Sometimes it gets so loud I can't hear anything else. It gets worse when I exercise.

You may be describing a condition called Pulsatile Tinnitus -- a medical condition where you are hearing your pulse. There can be numerous causes of this disorder, but giving blood is not really one of them. Unfortunately, it is not possible for me to determine a specific cause in your case, namely since I do not know anything about you, your medical history, or have any way of examining you or ordering diagnostic tests.

Pulsatile tinnitus can be caused by many medical conditions:

Vascular abnormalities -- a problem with an adjacent artery or vein (the jugular vein has a pulsation is high on the list of causes). Glomus tumors (a non-cancerous growth in or near the blood vessels) are occasionally found. Carotid stenosis (closing or narrowing of this neck artery) can cause pulsatile symptoms.

There are other causes, including hypertension (high blood pressure), patulous eustachian tubes (open tubes leading from throat to ear), palatomyoclonus (spasms of muscles in the soft palate) and stapedial muscle spasm (the tiny muscle attached to the stapes bone in the middle ear).

In order for you to be properly evaluated, it would be best for you to see an ENT at a large, university-based medical center. Usually, the collaborative resources at these large institutions are better for these difficult to diagnose (and treat) disorders.

Thanks for your Reply!

Report This| Share this:Pounding in my earsYou may be describing a condition called Pulsatile Tinnitus -- a medical condition where you are hearing your pulse. There can be numerous causes of this disorder, but giving blood is not really one of them. Unfortunately, it is not possible for me to determine a specific cause in your case, namely since I do not know anything about you, your medical history, or have any way of examining you or ordering diagnostic tests.

Pulsatile tinnitus can be caused by many medical conditions:

Vascular abnormalities -- a problem with an adjacent artery or vein (the jugular vein has a pulsation is high on the list of causes). Glomus tumors (a non-cancerous growth in or near the blood vessels) are occasionally found. Carotid stenosis (closing or narrowing of this neck artery) can cause pulsatile symptoms.

There are other causes, including hypertension (high blood pressure), patulous eustachian tubes (open tubes leading from throat to ear), palatomyoclonus (spasms of muscles in the soft palate) and stapedial muscle spasm (the tiny muscle attached to the stapes bone in the middle ear).

In order for you to be properly evaluated, it would be best for you to see an ENT at a large, university-based medical center. Usually, the collaborative resources at these large institutions are better for these difficult to diagnose (and treat) disorders.

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